A Divine Redemption Pt. 2 - Grand Master Erik Schultz & Pope Peter II

[The Young Pope]

The Ecclesiastical State

To:- His Most Eminent Highness, Erik Schultz, Grand Master of the Knightly Order of Trinity

Let me first say that it is indeed strange that I, The Young Weasel Pope, the most hated person according to your world view, would contact you after almost a year of absence; certainly, the circumstances we last referred to each other weren't in the brightest of days. I would thus like to apologise which can't be merely expressed in words, over the humiliation and traitorous behaviour I bestowed upon you in terms of how I handled the kidnapping of His Majesty, Emperor Orion. What I did back then is more than unacceptable and cowardly for a leader and high position in which I'm currently posessing; I alienated an entire flock of faithful, led them astray and the situation ended up in the one today when they would rather follow you, which is perfectly understandable.

I'm regarded as a great theologian, quite a bright one for my age and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, advancing to the level of Cardinalship in my late 30s. By then I never could have imagined that I would rise to become the very leader and foremost representative of God on Mundus, that soon anyway. When I attained the Papal role in 2013, the first years went well as I fulfilled the duties required of myself as well as continuing to improve the reputation of the Church. However, the alluring concept of power and supremacy slowly crept up, posisoning my mind to act, think..even speak. Greed came into play and also the fact that overstepped my constitutional boundaries as Head of State to see things done as I pleased, made me feel 'invincible', a man of unchallenged authority who for a while forgot the ability to control one's self.

What I shoud have done when the Emperor was kidnapped by these zealous Christians was to logically Think things through and have a Mutual discussion to tackle the issue as best as possible. Instead, I was one-track minded and only heeded to my inner greed and selfishness, led astray by the Devil himself; I focused entirely on the Knights without realising that the most important thing was the very interests of the Catholics in Neu Uburzis, like how a Shepard abandons his Sheep. When my next diplomatic blunder came, the one featuring the broken treaty with the RS after merely signing it a few hours beforehand in order to instead join the CNN and appease the Maori...something in me woke up, the realisation that my outrageous and disgraceful behaviour without self-modestation resulted only in terrible outcomes; the path to redemption was dawned upon me.

This is why dear Grand Master, I as a servant of God to Another, appeal to thee to once and for all reconcile by having a face-to-face meeting and Mutual dialogue, either in the Ecclesiastical State, Neu Uburzis or any location of your choosing. I of course don't expect that the faithful and the Order would return to the Catholic Church, at least during this era, God be willing. The amount of issues that ought to be discussed are plenty at hand and thus am looking forward to your stretched-out hand; including a possible solution in the form of a compromise has been crafted on my behalf. Whether our encounter would succeed or not, do remember at least that both of us tried our best to act like true Christians, showing mercy, kindness and openness.

Take Care and May God Bless the Holy Trinity Order and the Empire of Neu Uburzis.

Pope Peter II of the Ecclesiastical State and the Celestian Catholic Church.

[Norgeras]

Erik raised an eyebrow at first when he saw a Letter in his mail with the Papal Seal, then almost spit out his coffee before taking a seat, reading the letter half aloud as he sat down on his Desk:

"Most hated Person? Come on Petey, you aren't Blackwind or Kyle Barren."

Erik took a sip from his coffee, getting some Paper to start drafting a Reply while reading the next lines:

"alienated an entire flock of faithfull, led them astray..." Erik grunted slightly angry: "Yeah right, because leading us to our own Path is led astray."

"regarded as a Great Theologian... no, you are not." Erik shook his head, while continuing to scribble notes down: "Mutual discussion... Yeah, i wasn't much better..."

"Led astray by the Devil? Really Petey, blame yourself. Don't blame god."

Erik threw his Letter draft away, picking up a new blank Page:

"next Diplomatic Blunder... you forget the Part where you managed to enrage a kid to the Point he threw a Spoon at you. Albrecht rubbed that incidents under my nose the very next day."

Erik crumbled the empty paper, picking up a new one and a new Pencil:

"acting without Self Modestation... You just called yourself a great Theologian, hypocrite."

Erik emptied his Coffeemug, reading the lest of the letter:

"A compromise has been hand crafted? so you already have something in advance? I don't think that will work. But Let's see."

some moments later, Erik send of an Email to the Papal Secretary, ditching the Paper approach all together:






To Pete:

I'll come visit you.

Erik

[The Young Pope]

"Our Lady, Queen of the Knights, bless all the activities of our Orders. Keep us true to our pledge, to extend the kingship of thy divine son on earth. Through Thine intercession, win for us the grace, ever to exemplify in our public and private lives, the virtues that should characterize those especially dedicated to the service of the heavenly court. Make us always aware that as your Knights, they are constantly observed, their faith judged, and their Ordera appreciated. Accept, O Mary, this renewed pledge of fealty and devotion, of Thy Servants, the Knights of these Orders".

That was The Young Pope praying for all of the Church's knightly orders in the private chapel, especially the Holy Trinity whom he knew had to redeem himself with; as news reached all corners of the faith that Grand Master Erik Schulz accepted the invitation and was on his way to the Ecclesiastical State, the seriousness of Daily affairs was highly alerted in the anticipation of his arrival. Many of the highstanding clergy, especially the Cardinals, hoped that the Pope's meeting with the Grand Master after a year of lingering antagonism and distrust would take a turn in the opposite direction and the greater good; everyone of course wondered what Pope Peter II had in mind in terms of a 'compromise and whether it was a solid idea to begin with.

A papal envoy greeted and met the Grand Master at the Celestis International Airport, escorting him using a heavily guarded convoy to the Vatican which was the usual place where His Holiness received and hosted foreign dignitaries; The convoy halted in front of the entrance leading into the Papal Palace from the inner courtyard where an impressive group of Pontifical Helvetic Guards were standing on either sides as the red carpet graciously was stepped upon by Schulz' shoes, proceeding inside the palace itself and there was a row of cardinals also on either side, bowing in respect and reverance of an integral figure like the Grand Master.

"It's great to see you again and thank you for willing to do this, His Holiness and everyone else in the service of God truly appreciates this". Sister Arilda, one of TYP's former mentors alongside Cardinal Martin Deed and Mother General Superior of the Charity Order of the Association of the Immaculate Heart, said welcoming Erik in the process as she was the one to personally escort him to the Pope. The various media crews flicked their cameras as both the Mother and Grand Master promenated down the hallway until they came to a full stop at the door to the Pope's private library.

"Grand Master Erik Schulz..." TYP could be heard saying before he lowered his voice, to give words of support and encouragement; TYP shook Erik's hand before the camera activity intensified and the Cardinals along the hallway clapped their hands and cheered for the meeting to finally take place after a long time of tragedy. "Please if you will..." the Pope gestured the old Grand Master into the private library as the security personel closed the door and directed the media crews elsewhere; there was a set of chairs and a coffee table in the middle of the room, where traditional Ecclesiastical snacks were served at their pleasure. "Coffee and Tea's already in front of you, however if you'd like I can ask Sister Indira to fetch anything else of your choosing." the Pope said, as .

As he was waiting for Erik's reply, he proceeded to initiate by asking a question. "So...I've heard the Order's doing quite well and the faith still remains strong among the NU Christians which is quite positive. Am I wrong on that assumption?" TYP asked curiously.

[Norgeras]

Erik was at first puzzled, then somewhat annoyed at the whole display. Cardinals kneeling to him? Just a Year Ago he was but a provincial Bishop with little interest from Celestis.

He grunted, before putting up a very warm smile, passing them, blessing them all while passing. He had to admit, it felt darn good.

Technically he was the head of his own church now, took a time to adjust. Well, unless there was a pyre waiting to burn him on. With this Pope, he wasn't sure if that wasn't an option.


As they arrived at the study, he tilted his head:

"Tea is fine. Unless you suggest i need something stronger to get through the day already, Peter?" He leaned back nodding:

"So let's hear what you have to say."

[The Young Pope]

"Well I'm sure sister here could make a special brew to liven you up hehe." the Pope said as she smiled and prepared the table. "Ok so...where do I begin? Ah, yes...it's common knowledge that the Grand Master is the head of his own Christian denomination already with most of the Neu Uburzis catholics following the lead; however theologically speaking from what I can understand both the original Church and your...version...have the same beliefs and practices.

This is why I'm going to propose you this, do note that I of course don't expect you and your followers to accept it, at least right away as that needs further consultation and discussion...I'm offering you to rejoin the Celestian Catholic Church with no demands of any sort; I'm willing to name you a Cardinal and Prince of the Church, leading a newly formed Neu Uburzis rite which is distinctive from the Latin one. I think a past mistake of our predecessors and myself is that we never fully made your particular rite official and took it seriously enough; that has naturally led to the detriment of trust towards the Holy See and combined with my reckless response towards your call of aid to deal with that crisis that occured a year ago...I believe this would serve everyone's interest especially yours; renewing faith and trust as well as the increased the prestige. Aside from this, an annual donation of $2 billion USD will be given in order to bolster the Knights of the Holy Trinity and the local Catholic Church in Neu Uburzis by spreading and maintaining the best to the best of your posibilities.

So what do you say? Naturally if declined, the Celestian Catholic Church is willing to cooperate with the Knights of the Holy Trinity for the betterment of Christian unity and friendship. You may see this as a desperate bribe, which is certainly not the case; I'm taking full responsibility for what I did towards thee last year which drove you away, as well as the mistakes of my predecessors for not doing enough to sustain your needs and capabilities in defending and spreading the faith." Pope Peter II, curiously waiting for the Grand Master's reply.

[Norgeras]

In his mind, Erik screamed. that puny boy was barely more a man than Orion. And now he tried to throw money at an issue to solve it? what did the Pope think he was? Heyra?



"How many Christians do you want there to be in the Empire when i walk out of this Door?" he nodded behind him, before folding his hands together:

"If i would take you up on your offer, and announce it, it would be considerable less. They put their faith in me, and just walking back into your arms would shatter the last bit of faith in Jesus these people have left."

Erik nodded to the Bible: "We are Both Shepherds, and i need to lead mine back into a stronger faith. I believe simply falling back in line would do the opposite of the intended goal. it would erode Faith and Destroy what little trust there is left."


"As for the Money, i have to decline for the same Reason. For the Faith to be strong, it doesn't take funds. It takes Action. Aside form that most buildings used by Christians in the Empire are owned by the Trinity Order anyway. The Empire didn't exactly allow an outside State to own Property in their lands until recently."